Nibali wins 2010 Vuelta as Farrar takes final stage

The real Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia) appeared to be missing in the Vuelta a Espana’s final stage on Sunday in Madrid. Cavendish failed to show the same acceleration that won him three stages over the last three weeks and lost to American Tyler Farrar (Garmin).

Cavendish, racing in the green jersey of the classification leader, came off the rear wheel of team-mate Matt Goss in the final metres and looked across the road to his left. He appeared to be watching his rivals – Farrar, Danilo Hondo (Lampre) and Allan Davis (Astana) – or seeing if Goss might have a go.

Garmin-Transitions’ Farrar took control, accelerating on the left side towards Madrid’s Plaza de Cibeles.

“I have been feeling good the whole Vuelta,” Farrar said. “To win two stages was more than I could hope for. I owe a big thanks to [team-mate] Matt Wilson.”

Cavendish will have another, and more important, chance to beat Farrar in two weeks’ time on another continent. The two are leading their nations at the road race World Championships in Geelong, Australia.

Cavendish will have the support of Brits David Millar and Jeremy Hunt. Farrar won’t have Wilson to help him, but, due to national rankings, will have eight men at his side. USA Cycling will announce Farrar’s helpers as early as tomorrow.

Vincenzo Nibali wins first grand tourVuelta a España winner, Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Doimo) became teh first Italian to win the Spanish race for 20 years. Nibali will depart for Australia on Tuesday as part of Italy’s nine-man team. His mind will be on the Vuelta a España, though, because over the last three weeks he evolved from one of the many Grand Tour hopefuls to an actual winner. At 25 years old, there are many voices singing his praise and talking about the possibility of him dethroning Alberto Contador at next year’s Tour de France.

“I still cannot believe in what I have won. Within a cycling’s small some things change, but I will not change as a person,” Nibali said.

“It is very difficult to beat him [Contador], others have tried over the years, but one day, perhaps at the Tour, we will go head-to-head for the win.”

Nibali enjoyed the day, which was essentially an 85-kilometre parade from San Sebastián de los Reyes to Madrid for him and his Liquigas team-mates. Not so for Dominik Roels (Milram), who attacked at only 19 kilometres into the race. Roels gained four companions, but it was not enough to hold off the work of HTC and Garmin in the circuits around Madrid.

The sunny day in Madrid was meant to be for Vuelta’s big winners: Tyler Farrar (two stages), Mark Cavendish (three stages and the green jersey), Vincenzo Nibali (the overall by 41 seconds on Ezequiel Mosquera), and David Moncoutié (his third mountain jersey).